Psychedelic drugs in today's society usually receive a negative connotation when being elaborated upon. Drugs such as MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin which are more commonly known as mushrooms are subsequently thought to be used by the “hippie” crowd and are never perceived to be in any way helpful to the mind or body. Contrary to popular belief, these drugs currently play a huge role in therapeutic treatment for patients with illnesses such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and cancer. The use of psychedelic drugs in psychotherapy will spike in this turn of the century due to their up and coming success that has been proven through hundreds of recent trials. With several case studies, personal testimonies and irrefutable evidence,  these drugs when used in a controlled setting significantly aid the therapeutic process. 

Psychedelic drugs have been around for thousands of years dating as far back as 3000 BC when Mesoamerican cultures such as the Mayans and the Aztecs would use mushrooms in their religious rituals to achieve a state of euphoria (Servicio de Neurologia). These drugs were used on a regular basis by entire tribes because the users believed that these drugs aided in religious connection to a higher power and a more conscious state of being that was unattainable without the drugs. Furthermore, in ancient Asian cultures, monks would perform the same type of rituals to reach a state of consciousness beyond what the human mind was capable of. After their mind altering experience ` Cave paintings and rock fossils have also been found in old native American lands which depict tribes using the drug and referring to it as “the skin of god”. 

In more modern history, the early 19th century was the original epicenter for using psychedelics on patients for therapy. These early trials used mainly LSD and mushrooms to treat patients with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Even without modern technology and a great knowledge of how these drugs affected the brain, these cases had modest success. However, with the turn of the half century, psychedelic drugs were being used more for recreational reason rather than a medical one. With the rise of counterculture in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the role of psychedelics in psychotherapy took a step decline and were not used for decades (Johnson, Griffith). 

With the turn of the twenty-first century psychedelic drugs have made their way back into the hands of psychotherapists and back again into a therapeutic role thanks to promising studies and powerful results. “the possibility of improving outcomes for patients with substance dependency imposes an obligation to research this area” (Sessa, Johnson). The two psychiatrists Sessa and Johnson are firm believers in the idea of psychedelic drugs making a comeback into the field. The drugs have been out of use for so long with no good reason to keep them sidelined. There is a growing need for better treatment in the field of therapy with the rising number of mental illness and psychedelic drugs seem to be the number one answer.

MDMA, LSD, and mushrooms have been proven to lower the rate of suicidality. In one study done by several Canadian college professors, they found that suicidality can be greatly decreased when patients are given doses of psychedelic drugs. In this study 290 women who had reported recent suicidality were given small doses of LSD and psilocybin. After a six month period these drugs proved to have a direct correlation with life satisfaction as well as personal meaningfulness (Argento E, Strathdee SA, Tupper K). Furthermore, after a fifty-two month follow up period of the 290 women, only 11% of the original women had reported recent suicidality. Participants who also previously reported a lifetime use psychedelic drugs saw a 60% decrease when they were given a small dose of psychedelic drugs along with therapy (Argento E, Strathdee SA, Tupper K). 

Every year thousands of United Sates soldiers are sent over-seas to fight in conflicts all around the world and every year thousands more return home with post-traumatic stress disorder. This horrible disease has been around since wars have been fought and began to be documented during the civil war. In that time, doctors were baffled with what they say and had no immediate therapy to help. In our modern day, MDMA has mad phenomenal gains in helping soldiers who suffer from this horrible disease. People who suffer from PTSD often show symptoms such as neuroticism and are extremely introverted, meaning they lack the skills to be open with others. In a very recent study conducted in 2017, researchers found that MDMA is a very useful tool in helping patients. Patients were give three to four micrograms of MDMA along with their usual therapy. The study concluded that MDMA not only increased the openness of patients along with a decrease in neuroticism, but their overall personality was traits had changed for the better as well, “These preliminary findings suggest that the effect of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy extends beyond specific PTSD symptomatology and fundamentally alters personality structure, resulting in long-term persisting personality change” (Wagner, Mithoefer, Mithoefer, MacAulay Jerome, Yazar-Klosinski). This drug not only helped short term symptoms of PTSD but it could also potentially help in the long term lives of these patients. More has to be followed up with from this study in years to come but this finding make a great case for further research using MDMA. 

Psilocybin seems to be the most effective and commonly used psychedelic when it comes to therapy due to its high availability as well as its ability to be controlled well in a therapy setting. Mushrooms have proven to be a great tool in common illness such as depression,  anxiety, and addiction. When given in a single dose of mushrooms, cancer patients reported fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety for a period as long as six months, with three months being the average time with a steady decreased symptom rate (Johnson, Griffith). Mushrooms have also proven to help alcohol and tobacco addiction. Patients with reported alcoholism and or tobacco addiction went through careful screening, monitoring and a follow up period after a single dose of psilocybin. After a sixth month period, 80% of tobacco users were abstinent from smoking, and after the long term follow up period of two and half years 75% of previous tobacco users were still tobacco free.  

One in every twelve adults suffers from alcohol addiction, a small percentage of the seventeen million Americans who suffer from it actually seek out help. A rising hope for alcoholism has emerged in the form of LSD. In a 2006 study done by several psychiatrists, sixty-nine patients were given a small dose of LSD just one time after several sessions of therapy. After an eighteen month follow up period, their results were astounding. Not only did all of the patients have fewer accounts of alcohol related problems, the researchers found that the patient’s test levels of psychological attributes also decreased. Things like paranoia, hysteria, and introversion were all down from the original first therapy session, with the biggest cutback being in their levels of depression (ALBERT A. KURLAND, SANFORD UNGER, JOHN W. SHAFFER, CHARLES SAVAGE). LSD not only cut down on their addiction but likewise cut down on their drivers for that addiction. LSD was a successful tool in lowering the deep rooted causes for their alcoholism. 

Before psilocybin was used in for therapeutic reasons, medical scientist David Duncan explored its use in a controlled environment in 1972. The first test subjects he used were inmates in a Massachusetts prison. Duncan gave thirty-three inmates one dose of mushrooms and planned to observe the actions of the inmates as well as taking testimonials from the prison guards. What Duncan found was that the inmates had higher rates of self-exploration, greater self-revelation, and he even observed that the peers they communicated with had a better mood as well (Duncan). This early study Duncan conducted helped get the ball rolling for future studies using psilocybin. “The use of psychedelic drugs as a treatment modality at this time is not urged, but further res with adequate follow-up & controls is strongly advised” (Duncan). Duncan strongly advertised for supplementary studies to be held in hope that his findings would spring more research. This early test of mushrooms was a strong start for the uprising of its use on humans in therapy. 

Psilocybin has been tested again and again when it comes to patients suffering from depression and anxiety. Two psychology professors at the University of Columbia had been researching mushrooms effects for years, reading journals upon journals of it uses. These two researchers then made their own study. Lieberman and Shalev worked decided to work with patients with advanced stage cancer in 2016, to see the effects the drug had on depression and anxiety. From only one dose of mushrooms they found that these cancer patients reported their levels of depression and anxiety drastically decreased. Not only that, but the patients also reported that their quality of life was much better than previous accounts. Their findings led them to become major believers in this drug therapy and they even devoted a page of their journal to expanding on how it should be used more, “beyond its obvious implications for patients with comorbid advanced cancer and depression and anxiety, serves as a model for revisiting criminalized compounds of interest in a safe, ethical way…” (Lieberman, Shalev). 

Of course, not everyone in the psychiatric community or every other community for that matter are all systems go towards the funding of psychedelic drugs in therapy. There are major concerns with its future use. The very long term effects of these drugs on patients are still in a gray area, researchers are not positive on the effects they will have on patients much later in life many years down the road. Additionally, one great worry is if the effects of the drug wear off and the patients become addicted or feel the need they need MDMA, LSD, or mushrooms to feel better like they did before, and the overuse of these drugs can cause great damage to the brain if not controlled properly. “psilocybin may play an additional role in the development of psychosis and side effects such as cardiovascular symptoms dependent on a release of catecholamine’s” (Stebelska). 

However, in the perpetual changing world we live in today, science is going further every day. People are becoming open to new things, and funds are going to good places. With proper knowledge and funding, the use of psychedelic drugs will begin to have a great role in therapy. A recent article published by CBS news outlines the basics of these drugs in therapy. The article details first-hand accounts from patients and doctors on how useful these drugs are in the world of therapy. “‘Patients with cancer, particularly advanced cancer, have significant levels of anxiety, depression, and demoralization, ‘explained UCLA psychiatrist Dr. Charles Grob.” (CBS).  “‘I just thought this is like a miracle,’ exclaimed Richard Vaughn.” (CBS). Thousands of people could have read that article and have their who stance on psychedelic drugs changed. Going deeper into the article, MDMA, LSD, and mushrooms are all mentioned with their effects. With research and news articles like this being published more and more, the future of psychedelic drug use seems to be one that is creating quite the buzz. 

There is growing population in the world and mental illness is at an all-time high in our country. There is a need for new resources in the field of psychiatry and psychedelic drugs could be the answer many are looking for. The use of these drugs in therapy has proven to help thousands of patients with plethora of diseases. With more funding, and a greater knowledge of the benefits of these drugs, the use of psychedelics will become a staple in the therapy community due to the honest fact that they are highly effective. 
